Current projects
The by-catch of harbour porpoises and small dolphins remains one of the biggest challenges for nature conservation in the coming decades. A new device, the "PAL" (Porpoise Alert), is intended to keep harbour porpoises out of nets. Whether these devices work permanently has not yet been conclusively clarified and is to be researched in a three-year research project.
Grey seals are back on our coast. Conflicts arising from their return are to be managed through sustainable management measures.
MaRo" is to provide the data basis for this and represent an exchange platform.
Hearing in Penguins
Penguins are adapted perfectly to a life at land and sea. This popular group of living beings are well known, but there are some lacks of knowledge. The "Hearing in Penguins" is almost unknown, but now scientists want to investigate in this field. This research contains the training of penguins.
Seabirds and marine mammals play an important role as top predators in marine ecosystems. In the project TopMarine the basis for nature conservation are provided in terms of marine mammal and sea bird surveys under a continous method development to monitor the populations in the North and Baltic Seas.
Coral reefs form the basis of life for countries like the Maldives: Tourism, fisheries and building materials are important sources of income. However, the coral reefs have been suffering for years from natural phenomena, e.g. Coral bleaching due to too warm seawater (caused by El Ninos), but also by human influences e.g. by increased sedimentation and destruction of whole reefs by construction activities, pollution by waste water or overfishing.
